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The journey has been an exhilarating, glorious and at times rocky path, yet now, it seems the famed jockey's mind is made up. The most storied jockey over the last four decades is set to enter retirement after the main card at the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar on Saturday, where he has three opportunities to add a farewell top-tier victory to his almost 300 on his record already. The sport might not witness a career quite like it again.

A Household Name

Alongside racing great Lester Piggott and perhaps John McCririck in the last half-century, “Frankie” registers with pretty much everyone, no surname required. People know who he is, even if they possess absolutely no interest in his profession. In today's world that has been divided by digital platforms and online networks, Dettori could be the last racing figure who will ever enjoy such instant brand recognition across a broad swathe of the British population.

Dettori’s lifetime in the sport, in fact, dates back to an era when the show A Question Of Sport often attracted more than 10 million viewers, and his three-year role as a team captain was more than enough to cement him as the bubbly, unforgettable figure of the sport. His final year on the program came in 2004, which was also the time when he secured the top jockey award for a third and final time. As far as much of the British public, though, he has probably been the top jockey for many seasons after that.

A Hard-Earned Fame

It is, in many respects, a hard-won celebrity, a mixed blessing for incidents both on and off the racecourse that have repeatedly pushed Dettori into the headlines, since that memorable day at Ascot in 1996 when he defied odds of 25,000-1 to ride all seven winners on the card.

Back in June 2000, he was pulled from a fiery crash of a small plane by his fellow rider, Ray Cochrane, following an accident during takeoff in which the plane’s pilot lost his life. When he finally concluded his pursuit for a Derby winner in 2007, that also became headline news.

While everyone admires a winner, they frequently adore a flawed hero and a comeback even more. A six-month ban after a failed drug test for cocaine would have been the finish for most jockeys in their 40s, more than enough time for trainers and owners to find a younger alternative. For Dettori, though, suspension in December 2012 was a bridge to a renewed association with John Gosden at Newmarket, and a new series of champions and Classic winners, including Enable, Golden Horn and Stradivarius.

Public Highs and Lows

The celebrated successes and setbacks have been a crucial element of his narrative, up to and including the humiliating admission this past March that he was filing for bankruptcy after a prolonged dispute with tax authorities over unpaid taxes, a situation that Dettori tried, and failed, to keep confidential.

There were so many twists in his story, in fact, that it's easy to overlook that absent Dettori’s immense, once-in-a-generation skill, there would be no story at all.

Natural Ability

It was evident from his earliest days as a young apprentice that he had an instinctive rapport between horse and rider whenever Dettori was on board.

Steeds performed for him, and got better under him. Back in 1990, he was the first teenager since Piggott to achieve 100 wins in a season, and also marked his arrival among the elite with two Group One wins at Ascot, on the same day that he would charge without a loss just six years later. The famous flying dismount, copied from the US legend Angel Cordero Jr, was incorporated into his routine in 1994, and the thrill from riding a big-race winner has always stayed with him. Neither has the talent of knowing, with something akin to foresight, where to position, when to strike and where openings will emerge.

The Future Ahead

But what next for the recognizable figure of British racing? It will not be easy to finally let go, whether or not Dettori fulfils his apparent desire to take “a few rides in South America, something that he always wanted to experience”. It is not, after all, a goal that he has mentioned previously.

However, the disastrous choice to follow tax guidance that resulted in his tax issues indicates that he will not end his career with sufficient funds saved up to kick back and take it easy.

Fresh Ventures

He has been appointed to a new position as an international ambassador with the soccer agent Kia Joorabchian’s growing Amo Racing enterprise. He explained to racing presenter Matt Chapman on Friday this was the primary reason for his departure now, along with the chance to conclude at the Breeders’ Cup. “These opportunities are rare, very often. I appreciate the structure – it's a youthful team with huge goals,” explained the jockey.

Joorabchian, himself, was effusive in his compliments for his new ambassador on Thursday at Del Mar. “He is an icon, a genuine legend in the sport,” he stated. “When you talk about great sportsmen like LeBron James, Currys, Messis and Pelés and people like that, Frankie represents that to horse racing. When you go into Royal Ascot, you see a statue there, you realize that he has influenced on so many lives worldwide.

“He’s not here|“He isn't here} to amuse audiences, he's here to work and he will working with us very closely. He will participate in every area of our operations [but] he won’t be a racing manager. He is an international ambassador.”

Television reality shows are another option, though previous appearances on Celebrity Big Brother and I’m A Celebrity … often showed a moodier side to Dettori’s character, beneath the cheerful public image. In both programs, he was an early exit of the public vote.

It may be that Dettori personally is unsure what he'll do and how he will fill his time once his riding career ends. And for another one more day, he stays a top-level professional jockey, concentrating on three mounts at one of the globe's prestigious and dazzling events on the schedule.

The Final Ride

A five-year-old filly called Argine will be his final Grade One mount in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, the identical event in which he registered his first Breeders’ Cup success in 1994. Her performance in Japan in Japan suggests that she has something to find to figure, yet few jockeys in history have ever risen to an occasion like Lanfranco Dettori.

One last time, is it time for Frankie?